scholarly journals Economic inequality caused by feedbacks between poverty and the dynamics of a rare tropical disease: the case of Buruli ulcer in sub-Saharan Africa

2015 ◽  
Vol 282 (1818) ◽  
pp. 20151426 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrés Garchitorena ◽  
Calistus N. Ngonghala ◽  
Jean-Francois Guegan ◽  
Gaëtan Texier ◽  
Martine Bellanger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Neglected Tropical Diseases ◽  
Economic Status ◽  
Buruli Ulcer ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
Tropical Diseases ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Low Incidence ◽  
Heath Community

Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) have received increasing attention in recent years by the global heath community, as they cumulatively constitute substantial burdens of disease as well as barriers for economic development. A number of common tropical diseases such as malaria, hookworm or schistosomiasis have well-documented economic impacts. However, much less is known about the population-level impacts of diseases that are rare but associated with high disability burden, which represent a great number of tropical diseases. Using an individual-based model of Buruli ulcer (BU), we demonstrate that, through feedbacks between health and economic status, such NTDs can have a significant impact on the economic structure of human populations even at low incidence levels. While average wealth is only marginally affected by BU, the economic conditions of certain subpopulations are impacted sufficiently to create changes in measurable population-level inequality. A reduction of the disability burden caused by BU can thus maximize the economic growth of the poorest subpopulations and reduce significantly the economic inequalities introduced by the disease in endemic regions.

Interactions between ecological and socio-economic drivers of Buruli ulcer burden in Sub-Saharan Africa: opportunities for an improved control

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andes Garchitorena ◽  
Matthew H. Bonds ◽  
Jean-Francois Guégan ◽  
Benjamin Roche
Keyword(s):  
Socioeconomic Factors ◽  
Disease Transmission ◽  
Access To Health Care ◽  
Buruli Ulcer ◽  
Mycobacterium Ulcerans ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Aquatic Environments ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
Complex Interactions ◽  
Sub Saharan

This chapter provides an overview of the complex interactions between ecological and socioeconomic factors for the development and control of Buruli ulcer in Sub-Saharan Africa. We review key ecological and evolutionary processes driving the environmental persistence and proliferation of Mycobacterium ulcerans, the causative agent, within aquatic environments, as well as transmission processes from these aquatic environments to human populations. We also outline key socioeconomic factors driving the economic and health burden of Buruli ulcer in endemic regions, revealed by reciprocal feedbacks between poverty, disease transmission from exposure aquatic environments and disease progression to severe stages owing to low access to health care. The implications of such insights for disease control, both in terms of limitations of current strategies and directions for the future, are discussed.

scholarly journals The impact of Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) on health and wellbeing in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA): A case study of Kenya

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. e0009131 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth A. Ochola ◽  
Diana M. S. Karanja ◽  
Susan J. Elliott
Keyword(s):  
Neglected Tropical Diseases ◽  
National Level ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
The Political ◽  
Economic Opportunity ◽  
Tropical Diseases ◽  
Health And Wellbeing ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Political Economic ◽  
The Impact

Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) remain endemic to many regions of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) left behind by socioeconomic progress. As such, these diseases are markers of extreme poverty and inequity that are propagated by the political, economic, social, and cultural systems that affect health and wellbeing. As countries embrace and work towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the needs of such vulnerable populations need to be addressed in local and global arenas. The research uses primary qualitative data collected from five NTD endemic counties of Kenya: interviews key informants (n = 21) involved in NTD implementation programs and focus groups (n = 5) of affected individuals. Informed by theories of political ecology of health, the research focuses on post-devolution Kenya and identifies the political, economic, social, and cultural factors that propagate NTDs and their effects on health and wellbeing. Our findings indicate that structural factors such as competing political interests, health worker strikes, inadequate budgetary allocations, economic opportunity, marginalization, illiteracy, entrenched cultural norms and practices, poor access to water, sanitation and housing, all serve to propagate NTD transmission and subsequently affect the health and wellbeing of populations. As such, we recommend that post-devolution Kenya ensures local political, economic and socio-cultural structures are equitable, sensitive and responsive to the needs of all people. We also propose poverty alleviation through capacity building and empowerment as a means of tackling NTDs for sustained economic opportunity and productivity at the local and national level.

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